Thing is, "September" was actually EWF's biggest UK hit. (#3, tied with "Let's Groove", but the former stayed longer on the chart). I'd always assumed that was the case everywhere, but in the US there were five bigger hits, so there you go.
― mike t-diva, Tuesday, 14 September 2021 09:17 (two years ago) link
Surely it's the cover by Sisqo and Vitamin C for the totally forgotten teen movie "Get Over It" that has propelled "September" to its current heights
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Tuesday, 14 September 2021 12:56 (two years ago) link
It was also adapted by fans of the England national football team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia: "Woah, England are in Russia / Woah, drinking all the vodka / Woah, England’s going all the way".
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Tuesday, 14 September 2021 13:57 (two years ago) link
When I saw the first part of that sentence was about footie, thought it would be about “Seven Nation Army.”
― What Does Blecch Mean to Me? (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 September 2021 14:55 (two years ago) link
thinking about 'celebration' made me realize that the version I hear in my head is this one, from a commercial I probably saw a couple of times 35 years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYljOcM0zgU
― joygoat, Wednesday, 15 September 2021 19:10 (two years ago) link
they’ve been playing “celebration” after Oakland A’s wins since the song came out, I believe.
― brimstead, Wednesday, 15 September 2021 21:04 (two years ago) link
(home wins)
I was going to write that I actually also sing "Celebration" in reference to food...all the time.
This morning, I had a bite of leftover sponge cake for breakfast, and unbidden, sang to myself, "ahweeeah, eating lots of sponge cake, ahweeeah, tasty tasty sponge cake" etc.
― I'm a sovereign jazz citizen (the table is the table), Thursday, 16 September 2021 17:01 (two years ago) link
Ba dee yah!
― Richard Marxist (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 22 September 2021 02:18 (two years ago) link
Elton John was already mentioned upthread but now it's "Rocket Man" that is his biggest song on Spotify while there are around a dozen songs of his that were bigger hits.
― AlXTC from Paris, Saturday, 25 September 2021 10:51 (two years ago) link
This may have been mentioned before but La Grange is ZZ Top’s most streamed song. It was a much smaller hit than their big 80s singles—peaked at 41 in the US.
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 13:17 (two years ago) link
a how how how HOW did this happen
― I Am Fribbulus (Xax) (Doctor Casino), Saturday, 25 September 2021 14:43 (two years ago) link
Idk if La Grange was a hit but it’s been ZZ Top’s icon song for decades now. It’s one of those songs with high odds you’ll learn first if trying to play guitar.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 14:58 (two years ago) link
"Decades" is overstatement, surely? Fwiw, "Sharp Dressed Man" is first on this list, although I'm not sure if Apple Music lists are in order of streams/sales?: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/zz-top/215917/see-all?section=top-songs
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 15:51 (two years ago) link
UCR do say "La Grange" is "without a doubt" their most popular song of all time. Interesting: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-zz-top-songs/
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 15:53 (two years ago) link
I would have guessed "Sharp Dressed Man", "Legs", and "Tush" before that one, although I'm not complaining.
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 15:54 (two years ago) link
Not very acquainted with ZZ Top’s discography but yeah La Grange might be #41 in the US maisntream rock charts but the six #1s they have there are all songs I’ve never heard before: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top_discography
As someone not overtly familiar with them my guess for their 5 most popular songs, independent from actual chart position would be: La Grange, Tush, Cheap Sunglasses, Sharp Dressed Man and Legs
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:05 (two years ago) link
this is a good time for everyone to vote in the zz top poll
― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:07 (two years ago) link
La Grange was 41 regular US chart (not sure they had a mainstream rock chart back then) but they had also two ten hits on the US top 40.
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:09 (two years ago) link
Legs and Sleeping Bag. Tush made it to #20.
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:10 (two years ago) link
This is pretty much what this thread is about btw
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:11 (two years ago) link
I can at least bet those 5 are more well known than those five #1 singles.
I’ve found that chart positions don’t really work as a measure of popularity in some genres… in this case “classic rock”. We could make a test to prove the theory… let’s see I’ll google classic rock right now… I’ll pick mmm Journey, Bon Jovi and AC/DC… be right back with the results for their most popular songs according to the us mainstream rock charts.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:11 (two years ago) link
just checked and john lee hooker’s too played song on spotify is “boom boom,” that’s how deep this goes!!
(“boogie chillen” is his fourth-most streamed)
― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:13 (two years ago) link
For a certain generation I’d wager that Legs and Sharp Dressed Man are the iconic ZZ Top songs. I didn’t know they had any older hits back yhen
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:14 (two years ago) link
*top played, obv
― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:14 (two years ago) link
Let’s see… here’s the most popular songs according to the US mainstream rock charts:
AC/DC
Big Gun #1 Hard As A Rock #1Stiff Upper Lip #1Rock n roll train #1
Bon Jovi
Apparently no US mainstream rock charts available for them? Livin on a Prayer and Keep the Faith both hit #1 in the gral US charts
Journey
Separate Ways #1The party’s over #2Be good to yourself #2
So it kinda works for Bon Jovi… they’re probably more of a pop rock band which is better for the charts, but I have no recollection of ever hearing those Journey and ACDC songs… I’d certainly wouldn’t name them in their 10 most popular songs of all time.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:20 (two years ago) link
Separate ways was big
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:20 (two years ago) link
Sorry not really acquainted with Journey either… It’s #5 on spotify and I just heard it and it rang a bell. Not really the song everybody thinks of when they think of Journey and it wasn’t true back then either. That song dates from 1983 and it was probably a hit because it preceded their two most popular songs regardless if they were bigger chart hits or not.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:25 (two years ago) link
I think the problem with classic rock in the charts is that it usually took a couple of years for the rest of the population to catch on and rock was more album oriented than single oriented anyways.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:26 (two years ago) link
https://aboutthe80s.com/8-movies-and-shows-played-journeys-separate-ways-worlds-apart/
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:27 (two years ago) link
Oh i definitely remember that Journey video lol… this is hilarious if you haven’t seen it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD8ffB9JU64
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:28 (two years ago) link
The mainstream rock chart is (was?) an airplay chart that tracks a specific radio format. It's not necessarily reflective of a song's general popularity (even at the time) or hit status, for which the Hot 100 is a much better reference point.
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:33 (two years ago) link
I mean, I did listen to that format a lot in the late 80s/early 90s so I know a lot of those songs but "Doubleback" wasn't a #1 song for most people.
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:35 (two years ago) link
That said, Bon Jovi were definitely not absent from the mainstream rock charts: https://www.billboard.com/music/bon-jovi/chart-history/RTT
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:36 (two years ago) link
Oh so the one I was looking were actual the US mainstream rock charts for bon jovi, then the 2 songs I mentioned are the biggest ones according to that one.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:43 (two years ago) link
The US Mainstream Rock Charts didn't exist until 1980 or thereabouts.
― Precious, Grace, Hill & Beard LTD. (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:49 (two years ago) link
And I mean maybe? Bon Jovi depends on the age group you ask… for people aged 20-30 it’s probably “it’s my life”, for people 30+ Livin on a prayer is not a bad guess
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:50 (two years ago) link
this is a good time for everyone to vote in the zz top poll― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Saturday, September 25, 2021 12:07 PM (forty-one minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Saturday, September 25, 2021 12:07 PM (forty-one minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
^THIS
It Sure Got POLLED After The Rain Fell: ILM Artist Poll #110 – ZZ Top
― Precious, Grace, Hill & Beard LTD. (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:51 (two years ago) link
xpost For others it’s Who Says You Can’t Go Home
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:53 (two years ago) link
"You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", "I'll Be There for You", and "Bad Medicine" were all #1s on the Hot 100. "Livin' on a Prayer" was surely the biggest at the time? "Livin' on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name" are comfortably their two most-streamed songs on Spotify.
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:59 (two years ago) link
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes)
Lord almighty no
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 18:21 (two years ago) link
Their only #1 country song. Still gets lots of radio play.
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 18:29 (two years ago) link
*shudders
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 18:44 (two years ago) link
I'm honestly not sure who is currently a dedicated listener to the mainstream rock format, e.g. who would pick these as their favourite songs of 2020: https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2020/mainstream-rock-songs-artists
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 22:18 (two years ago) link
Yeesh
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 22:19 (two years ago) link
Tbh I look at the full 2010s list and feel extremely confused:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Mainstream_Rock_number-one_songs_of_the_2010s
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 22:22 (two years ago) link
No wonder most of my older rockist friends think there has been nothing exciting going on in music for the past decades.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 22:24 (two years ago) link
That list is downright depressing
I was walking around a large university campus packed full of tailgating football fans today and heard Livin' On A Prayer twice, once with a bunch of drunken middle aged people singing along at full volume.
― joygoat, Saturday, 25 September 2021 23:05 (two years ago) link
weirdly I didn't realize until just now that La Grange was a ZZ Top song (nor did I even know the name of the song, though of course I've heard it a million times...I just don't care for that type of blues rock)
― akm, Sunday, 26 September 2021 19:44 (two years ago) link